Forsyth County Georgia Board of Education - Jere Krischel - 11/19/2024

When my family escaped California to the free state of Georgia, things were looking dire. The government had shut down the economy, schools, churches, and was engaging in the most egregious election interference in our nation's history. Our popular culture had begun normalizing fake-race riots, pornographic materials in elementary schools, and the sterilization and mutilation of prepubescent children. The onslaught of well-intentioned, but misguided compassion seemed unstoppable.

Even within Forsyth County, it seemed like a slide to the extreme left was possible - massive attacks were made against anyone who was in favor of removing inappropriate materials from our school libraries, including a corrupt federal investigation by the Department of Education. While complaining that removing pornography from our elementary schools was creating a "hostile environment", these radical activists used every lever of power they could, to express their hostility toward anyone not on board with the entire leftist agenda.

But today, I feel incredibly hopeful, and incredibly grateful. The abuses of power of the past 4 years by the federal government are going to be rectified. The poisonous philosophies of critical race theory, queer theory, and fake "diversity, inclusion, and equity", are coming to an end. Hopefully, the federal Department of Education is dissolved, and our tax dollars can come back to our states as block grants without the overhead or additional divisive strings attached.

That being said, I fully recognize that many of my friends who have been caught up in the corporate media hysteria are very sad, upset, and worried for the future. I would like to reassure them that despite how conservative parents and citizens may be portrayed in the press, we love our children too. Our beliefs about the best ways to engender our children with competence, personal responsibility, and charity for others may differ, but our goals are the same.

We all want children to learn the academic skills they need to become lifelong learners. We all want children to learn to be kind to others. We all want children to be protected from both physical and spiritual harm, preserving their innocence and shielding them from predators who would normalize precocious sexualization. We all want children who know how to reduce their resentment, and increase their gratitude. We all want children who are proud of our country, while at the same time passionate about doing their part to make it even greater.

And with this realignment of our county, state, and federal government, unified across people as liberal as Tulsi Gabbard and as conservative as Matt Gaetz, we have a real opportunity to make things better for everyone, including our most vulnerable and fragile students who need significant mental health supports. We have a great School Board, great school staff, great teachers, great parents, and great students.

Despite the immense external pressures over the past 4 years, our Board has been diligent about protecting our children and families against toxic influences. I would ask the Board to please continue this work, at this historic moment, and implement the commonsense policies that are now ascendent in our nation.

And so on that note, thank you very much for your time, and again, I'd love to buy lunch for anyone who disagrees with me.